Dozens of students from the Bukittinggi Student and Community Alliance staged a protest outside the Bukittinggi City Local Parliament (DPRD) office on Tuesday, (September 10, 2024).

Their demands included the transfer of university land certificates and an apology from the mayor's family for a controversial social media post. However, the peaceful protest was disrupted when a rival group of students arrived, accusing the Alliance of being politically motivated.

A clash erupted between the two groups, leading to a tense standoff. Indonesian riot police intervened, detaining several students from the rival group who were accused of instigating the violence. The detained students were later released after questioning.

Deputy Chief of the Bukittinggi City Police, AKBP Apri Wibowo, said that while tensions were high, the situation was eventually brought under control. "Initially, students from Fort de Kook university were giving a speech when some people infiltrated the protest and caused a disturbance. This led to a minor scuffle, and the perpetrators were detained by security forces," he said.

Meanwhile, the DPRD secretary, Melwi Zardi, met with the protesting students but was unable to provide a solution as the council members were busy with administrative matters following their recent appointment.